Accessibility in the News — 8/12/2022.

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Feature Stories

Senate committee calls on VA, DOJ to improve accessibility to federal technology

August 10, 2022 | Source: Federal News Network

Deja Vu All Over Again? DOJ Announces Intent to Adopt Web Accessibility Regulations for State and Local Governments

August 8, 2022 | Source: Lainey Feingold

Senate lawmakers are pushing the departments of Justice and Veterans Affairs, along with all agencies, to improve the accessibility of their online services. The Senate Special Committee on Aging looked into the accessibility of federal technology, specifically for seniors and individuals with disabilities, as well as older and disabled veterans. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the committee’s chairman, said accessing digital services became a more prevalent concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, after accelerating a long-term shift in delivering government services through virtual, rather than physical, platforms…

National News (U.S.)

U.S. Attorney’s Office Resolves Complaint about Wheelchair-Accessibility of Concentra Urgent Care Facility in Downtown Denver

August 4, 2022 | Source: Department of Justice

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that it has reached a resolution of a complaint it received under the Americans with Disabilities Act about the accessibility of a Concentra Urgent Care facility in downtown Denver. The Department of Justice received a complaint that the Concentra Urgent Care location at 1730 Blake Street in downtown Denver was no longer accessible to individuals in wheelchairs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office found that 1730 Blake LLC, the owner of the building in which the facility is located, had remodeled the building’s lobby space in a manner that removed the sole wheelchair-accessible entrance to the facility…

SDCC ’22: The Accessibility Report

August 4, 2022 | Source: Comics Beat

One thing I was not expecting to hear as I asked my questions about SDCC ’22 accessibility at activations was one of the workers at the Ghosts activation acknowledging the builds needed to be accessible in the first place. While technically this is true, anything built for the public is required to be accessible, often it’s not actually true when it comes to activations and other activities at San Diego Comic Con. This article is going to discuss a lot of what was accessible and what was not this year for a very simple reason: I don’t think a lot of people understand what accessibility looks like…

Texas A and M Team Translates Thousands Of Pages Of Math Into Braille

August 4, 2022 | Source: Texas AandM Today

When Texas AandM University Mathematics Lecturer Vanessa Coffelt wanted to further accommodate coursework for students who are blind or visually impaired, the staff at Texas AandM’s Department of Disability Resources accepted the challenge. They worked closely with the Department of Mathematics to create a Braille translation — more than 2,300 pages worth. “We don’t read math the way we understand math,” said Justin Romack, Disability Resources’ assistant director working with assistive technology in the Division of Student Affairs…

How American Sign Language is evolving with time

August 5, 2022 | Source: NPR

In 2014, the Oxford English Dictionary, perhaps the most authoritative English dictionary, was compelled to add the word selfie to its pages. And, you know, just as new technology and culture are constantly pushing the English language to grow and evolve, the same thing is happening with American Sign Language, or ASL, as Amanda Morris wrote about recently in The New York Times. Morris is a child of deaf adults, or CODA for short. She’s an ASL user, and she conducted many of the interviews for her story in sign language. Amanda Morris joins us now…

Disabled drivers seek greater enforcement of accessible parking laws

August 5, 2022 | Source: WAVE

There are regulations and penalties for not following the rules when it comes to accessible parking. But rules being broken comes as no surprise to drivers with disabilities. “It means I’m excluded, and I’ll tell you, it feels rotten being excluded, being left out,” Elizabeth Fust, President of nonprofit Gathering Strength said. The nonprofit’s mission is to ensure equitable access for the disabled. The Americans with Disabilities act was passed 32 years ago, and Fust said some property owners and drivers are still not getting it right when it comes to accessible parking…

NC advocates working to make voting accessible for people with disabilities

August 6, 2022 | Source: WCNC

As North Carolina gears up for the November election, advocates are working to make sure voting is accessible for everyone. Casting a ballot is supposed to be a smooth, easy process. However, for some, it can be quite the opposite. “That was a very horrible experience for me,” Cherine Bentley said about voting in 2020. Bentley has cerebral palsy and votes curbside. When she pulled up to her precinct in the last election, she said a poll worker questioned whether she had a disability. Then Bentley said, the volunteer made a comment that she was “too pretty to have a disability.”…

Documentary highlights lack of accessibility for deaf and disabled people in Florida justice system

August 7, 2022 | Source: WUSF

“Being Michelle” is a documentary about a deaf woman with autism who survived incarceration and abuse in north central Florida, and now uses her artwork to depict the trauma she survived and heal from her past. Michelle Ricks said she was in prison for five years without an interpreter. Executive Producer Delbert Whetter said he believes Ricks would never have ended up in prison if she’d had communication access from the start. Her story highlights gaps in accessibility for deaf and disabled people in the justice system…

How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes

August 8, 2022 | Source: NPR

Disability can be difficult to talk about sensitively because of how embedded ableism is in our language, biases and perceptions of disability. Conversations about disability are slowly increasing, especially when it comes to ableist language and how disabled people are represented in the media. Disability advocate Talila A. Lewis’ working definition of ableism is a “system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence and excellence.”…

Arnold Schwarzenegger Shared His Plan to Make Fitness More Accessible for Everyone

August 8, 2022 | Source: Men’s Health

One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ongoing endeavors, movie career and political ambitions aside, has been to bring a love of fitness and exercise to as many people as possible. In the latest edition of his newsletter, the actor and bodybuilding legend shared how he is still continuing these efforts, and spoke about how making fitness accessible means understanding that different people’s lifestyles and needs are different. “I am for fitness and power and strength and energy for everyone,” he said…

Settlement reached over Red Rocks Amphitheatre overcharging for wheelchair-accessible seats

August 8, 2022 | Source: KRDO

Monday, the United States determined a resolution for a discrimination claim that was issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This claim is against the City and County of Denver and Live Nation, AEG, and PBS12, according to the United States Department of Justice. A complaint was filed that tickets for wheelchair-accessible seats at Red Rocks Parks and Amphitheatre were more expensive compared to non-accessible seats. The U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded the City and County of Denver violated the ADA by charging more for wheelchair-accessible seats…

How Thousands Of Disabled People Connected Over A Single Encounter In A Movie Theater

August 8, 2022 | Source: HUFFPOST

Change can be terrifying. I think this is resonant and true across all walks of life. As a disabled person, I find things changing around and within me constantly, but I often forget that there are so many others going through the exact same things. Recently, I was reminded of that fact after a moment of human connection that sparked a resonant viral Twitter thread, and it started in the women’s bathroom at a movie theater. As a younger person with mobility aids, I’m often stared at…

Website lawsuits, events regulations, environmental rules: What’s new in California wine business law

August 9, 2022 | Source: North Bay Business Journal

More North Coast winery website lawsuits end without settlements

August 11, 2022 | Source: North Bay Business Journal

Vexing the California North Coast wine industry in recent years have been lawsuits over winery website lack of access for the those with visual challenges, the new political debate over winery events, and ever-changing environmental regulations. Journal researcher Michelle Fox surveyed a handful of attorneys on some of those issues, posing questions from Journal wine reporter Jeff Quackenbush. Under the California statute on which most plaintiffs filing these lawsuits in California rely, a successful plaintiff can recover his or her attorneys’ fees, in addition to statutory damages…

Klondike class action alleges website not accessible to blind, visually impaired

August 9, 2022 | Source: Top Class Actions

Fischer Skis Must Defend Blind Customer’s Website Access Suit

August 11, 2022 | Source: Bloomberg Law

Unilever has failed to design and maintain a website that is fully accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, a new class action lawsuit alleges. Plaintiff Valerie Dicks claims Unilever denies individuals who are blind or visually impaired equal access to the goods and services offered on its klondikebar.com website. Dicks argues that klondikebar.com has “significant access barriers” that make it “difficult if not impossible” for blind and visually impaired individuals to use the website or make a transaction on it…

In first election without drop boxes, advocates worry about voting accessibility

August 9, 2022 | Source: WKOW

The August 9 primary was the first major election after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled clerks can’t use drop boxes to collect ballots. Voting accessibility advocates said that added to the numerous challenges people with disabilities face while trying to cast their ballots. “That really has been a step backward,” Disability Rights Wisconsin’s Barbara Beckert said. “Anytime that you see something taken away that has helped to support participation in our elections in a manner that is safe, secure and, we hope, accessible, that’s really a loss.”…

New clothing brand ‘Aille’ proving fashion is more than what you see

August 9, 2022 | Source: WKBW

When we’re window shopping, it’s all about what you see, but diving deeper, fashion is so much more. It’s about texture, material, meaning and for one new local brand, accessibility. “We’re trying to build a platform to truly bring accessibility into fashion at the mainstream level,” said Alexa Jovanovic, founder of Aille design. Aille (pronounced like eye) comes from the French verb ‘aller’ which means “to move forward”. Jovanovic believes inclusivity is the direction the fashion industry needs to move forward in. It all started as a research project…

When Helen Keller Met Charlie Chaplin and Taught Him Sign Language (1919)

August 9, 2022 | Source: Open Culture

Charlie Chaplin had many high-profile fans in his day, including some of the luminaries of the early twentieth century. We could perhaps be forgiven for assuming that the writer and activist Hellen Keller was not among them, given the limitations her condition of deafness and blindness — or “deafblindness” — would naturally place on the enjoyment of film, even the silent films in which Chaplin made his name. But making that assumption would be to misunderstand the driving force of Keller’s life and career. If the movies were supposedly unavailable to her, then she’d make a point of not just watching them, but befriending their biggest star…

Overcoming odds: deaf-blind Jefferson cyclist crosses America

August 10, 2022 | Source: Gazette Times

or many cyclists, the prospect of biking nearly 5,000 miles from Yorktown, Virginia to Florence, Oregon is a daunting enough affair. Known as the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, this tour intimidates even the most experienced riders with its sheer distance, elevation gains and heavy equipment in tow. Dick Hagan completed it legally blind and with significant hearing loss. “I didn’t do the tour to raise awareness about my conditions. I did it because it was my passion,” said the 61-year-old at his home in Jefferson…

New gene therapy could prevent genetic hearing loss

August 11, 2022 | Source: New Atlas

Researchers at the Salk Institute have made a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for genetic hearing loss. Gene therapy that delivers a particular protein can ensure faulty hair cells grow correctly, allowing for improved hearing. Sensory hair cells are a vital part of our auditory system. They line the surface of the cochlea with long structures called stereocilia, which vibrate in response to sound waves and produce electrical signals that are then sent to the brain. But one form of genetic deafness arises due to a lack of a protein called EPS8, which regulates the length of these hair cells. Without it, they’re too short to work properly…

Jack Fact — In Australia, the number of people aged 65 years and over is projected to nearly double over the next 2 decades. The population projections from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) forecast an increase from 3.8 million people in 2017 to between 6.4 million and 6.7 million people in 2042.

Hit The Road Jack — Dubrovnik-Neretva Beaches More Accessible for People With Disabilities and Wheel the World Uses Technology to Break Accessibility Barriers and Webguide for disability access to Australian beaches launches and ‘It opened up my freedom’: Creating a wheelchair accessible beachfront and 10 Sonoma County Parks with Easy, Accessible Trails

International News

Government’s long-awaited accessible housing plan ‘does not go far enough’

August 4, 2022 | Source: Disability News Service- UK and AT Today

A long-awaited government promise to introduce stricter minimum accessibility standards on new homes does not go far enough, say disabled campaigners. Ministers have now pledged to introduce new rules that will force all new homes in England to be built to the M4(2)* standard of accessibility, except for cases where this is “impractical and unachievable”. This will mean that all new homes will need step-free access to all entrance-level rooms, as well as facilities and other features that will make the homes more easily adaptable over time…

Boy’s wheelchair access at Commonwealth Games ‘an afterthought’

August 4, 2022 | Source: BBC- UK

A mother has hit out at poor wheelchair access after her disabled son was barely able to see a basketball match at the Commonwealth Games. Amy Ryan branded access an “afterthought” after her son Bobby was unable to watch the 3×3 basketball at Birmingham’s Smithfield venue because court-side railings were too high. The six-year-old was pictured craning his neck to try and watch it. Games organisers said it was the first to have a dedicated accessibility team…

Proposed law seeks to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities

August 5, 2022 | Source: NZ Lawyer- New Zealand and Otago Daily Times

Parliament has passed on first reading a proposed law that seeks to improve the lives of persons with disabilities across New Zealand, Minister for Disability Issues Poto Williams announced. The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill (Bill 153−1) aims to increase accessibility by identifying, preventing and removing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities, tāngata whaikaha Māori, and others with accessibility needs from living independently and fully participating in society. The bill comes shortly after the establishment of the new Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People last month…

Plastic can be an essential accessibility tool for people with disability. What happens when we ban it?

August 6, 2022 | Source: ABC- Australia

As a person living with a physical disability, there are a few items I require to help me live an independent life. Pre-prepared vegetables, ready meals and drinking straws — some of which are made of plastic — are absolutely essential for people like me. I have limited use of my hands and this has made preparing and cooking meals a nightmare. Up until the end of last year I simply avoided cooking meals myself as the kitchen tools I needed weren’t suitable…

Disabled Britons forced to move to the opposite end of UK due to shortage of accessible properties

August 6, 2022 | Source: Daily Mail- UK

Disabled Britons are being forced to move to the opposite end of the country from their family and support networks due to a national shortage of accessible homes. Among the cases uncovered by The Mail on Sunday is a 52-year-old paraplegic man who had to close down his business when he had no choice but to move to a bungalow more than 100 miles from his home in Essex. And a 28-year-old woman with learning disabilities and a history of self-harm who needed round-the-clock care was moved from Birmingham, where she lived with her family, to Hertfordshire…

Wheelchair-user forced to shower at local swimming pool due to lack of accessible housing

August 7, 2022 | Source: Stuff- New Zealand

Piotr Mierzejewski is living in a sleepout without hot water or an accessible bathroom, while he waits on the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to find him a home. In the meantime he’s resorted to sponge baths or showering at the local swimming pool to wash himself. So far he’s been waiting five months for MSD to find him a home, ever since he and his wife were evicted from their Dunedin home, but the couple has been searching for an accessible home for more than three years…

Edinburgh Fringe faces criticism for lack of disabled access

August 7, 2022 | Source: Yahoo News- UK and The Ferret and The Herald

Much of The Edinburgh Fringe programme remains inaccessible to disabled audiences, prompting criticism from campaigners and advocates as the 2022 festival gets underway. According to the Fringe’s own website search filters, a number of shows include no accessibility features at all. Additional analysis by investigative journalism co-operative The Ferret in conjunction with the Herald, found that almost 40 per cent of venues were hosting no accessible shows. Almost two-thirds of all Fringe venues are currently inaccessible to wheelchair users…

Blind Football: Brazil won the World Grand Prix in Mexico

August 7, 2022 | Source: International Blind Sports Federation

Argentina and Brazil goalkeepers and team captains, as well as referees, participate in a coin toss in the centre of the pitch before the World Grand Prix final match in Puebla at La Madriguera. The match was too balanced during the 30 minutes, although both teams had a hand full of chances to score. Goalkeepers shone when called to action, and the decision for the gold medal went to a penalty shootout. The first two attempts were scored by Argentina and Brazil, but in the last one, Brayan Pereira missed his shot and Jardel Soares scored, delivering the gold for the “Canarinha”…

Motability joins industry leaders in call for more collaboration to enhance WAV accessibility

August 8, 2022 | Source: THIIS Magazine- UK

Disabled car scheme Motability has joined industry leaders in calling for greater collaboration to enhance the accessibility of specialist electric vehicles for disabled people. Motability Operations, Motability the Charity, and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Association (WAVCA) hosted a dedicated event recently to start the conversations on tackling the significant challenges facing the move to electric for manufacturing and adapting Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV)…

Indigenous people with disabilities face racism and ableism. What’s needed is action not another report

August 8, 2022 | Source: Insurance NewsNet- Australia

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability continues. Its terms of reference acknowledge “the particular situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability”. Recent public hearings aired the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities and their engagement with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in remote communities…

The lesser-known requirements for accessibility

August 9, 2022 | Source: The Manila Times- Philippines

In the report submitted on Nov. 24, 2014 by the Philippines to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the status of the country’s fulfilment of its obligations with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the Philippines ratified on Sept. 25, 2007, it was stated in Paragraph 42 that: “Auditing the accessibility of existing structures for public use is also a challenge that is being addressed by the State Party…

“Accessibility is not one thing”: What it takes to make community gardens accessible to everyone

August 9, 2022 | Source: Eminetra- Canada

Elizabeth Perron and her husband have been growing vegetables in a community garden in East Vancouver for three years. There are various crops such as kale, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and cucamelons. This abundance of fresh produce is what draws Peron to gardening. She also likes that it’s an opportunity to spend time outdoors. “Especially in the last few years [with the pandemic]”I couldn’t go anywhere else,” she said. Both Perron and her husband are disabled and in wheelchairs, so they need accessible garden beds to grow this produce…

Deaf Boy’s Reaction to Man’s Sign Language Proposal to His Mom Melts Hearts

August 10, 2022 | Source: Newsweek-UK

he heartwarming moment a man proposed to his girlfriend using sign language in order for her deaf son Harry to understand has gone viral online as users dub it the “best proposal ever.” Georgia Harrison from the U.K. shared the amazing moment to TikTok on July 21, where it has since gained over 1.7 million views and 390, 000 likes. Harrison’s partner proposed to her in İçmeler, Turkey, but made sure to include her son in the experience, choosing to ask the big question in British Sign Language…

Accessible concerns raised as city temporarily removes seating at Heritage Station

August 10, 2022 | Source: Calgary Herald- Canada

Temporarily removed seating at a Calgary CTrain station has sparked concerns for transit users with mobility challenges. Michelle Marcicki said she was surprised to find nowhere to sit when she arrived at Heritage Station this week, something she said made the station less accessible to her due to a knee injury that makes standing difficult. “I had just missed the train, and I was standing there thinking, ‘I can’t sit down on the platform,’ ” Marcicki said. “There isn’t even any seating in the shelter, it’s almost laughable.”…

No more isolation: the school helping deaf children in Equatorial Guinea – in pictures

August 10, 2022 | Source: Guardian- Africa

Although legally the government should provide education for children whose needs cannot be met in mainstream schools, there are currently no state-run educational centres for the deaf. La Fe, with more than 100 students, is one of just three in the country, run either as private initiatives or by a charity…

Exclusive: Lack of station accessibility still a big IPC concern for Paris 2024

August 11, 2022 | Source: InsideTheGames- France

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is still hoping for local laws to be made flexible to enable rail stations to be made more accessible to wheelchairs for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Speaking to insidethegames in 2019, the IPC President Andrew Parsons highlighted concerns over transportation at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and this week he made it clear that many of those concerns remain. “We see a lot of movement within the French ecosystem about what can be done about the transport system in Paris,” he told insidethegames…

Inclusiveness, Accessibility and Participation a prerequisite for meaningful and aspirational democracy

August 11, 2022 | Source: Odisha- India

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Thursday said that no democracy can ever be meaningful and aspirational, unless it is Inclusive for all citizens, Accessible without fear or favour and Participative despite different social, political, economic vulnerabilities. The CEC was addressing a virtual meet of the ‘Asian Regional Forum’ on the theme “Making our Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative” held by the Election Commission.

Rajiv Kumar in his address said that Inclusion must cover all manner of marginalized communities…

Accessibility Standards Canada signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Saskatchewan to coordinate accessibility standards development

August 11, 2022 | Source: Newswire- Canada

Accessibility Standards Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on developing accessibility standards. The MOU will aid the development, revision, maintenance, and implementation of accessibility standards for the province and across Canada. This contributes to a seamless and inclusive experience across Canada and in Saskatchewan for persons with disabilities.

This MOU will also support collaboration, information sharing, identifying shared priority areas, and collaborating on joint research needs…

Inclusive play: U of T researcher studies the playground experiences of children with disabilities

August 11, 2022 | Source: University of Toronto- Canada

How do Canadian children with disabilities and their families experience playgrounds? What about adjacent areas such as parking lots and pathways? How can educators and rehabilitation specialists use playground spaces? These are some of the topics explored by Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, an associate professor studying disability and physical activity in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE). Since 2018, Arbour-Nicitopoulos and her research team have been working with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Jumpstart) to evaluate the impact of the playgrounds built through the charity’s Inclusive Play initiative…

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